Color indicator for weft-replenishing looms



June 29 1926. r 1,590,350

' C. A. DIGGjNS COLOR INDICATOR FOR WEFT REPLEN ISHING LOOMS 4 Filed Nov. 18 1924 2 ShetS -Sheet 1 In" a o v I June 29 1926. 1,590,350

c." A. DIGGINS I COLOR INDICATOR FOR WEFT REPPENI SHING LOOMS Filed Nov. 1 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 llllllllll fmgigfj Patented June 29, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. DIGGINS, OF WORCESTER, IVIASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CRO MPTON 8c KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

COLOR INDICATOR FOR WEFT-REILENISHING LOOMS.

Application filed November 18, 1924. Serial No. 750,670.

This invention relates to improvements in bin of the proper color for any shuttle. In'

relatively slow moving looms the color indicating mechanism 15 controlled by a direct connection to the box lifter rod, inasmuch' as sufficient time elapses between the arr1valof the boxes to pickingpositionand the subsequent arrival of the active shuttle under the magazine to permit a bobbin to move from any of the bobbin stacks to the common transfer position. In faster running looms, however, this interval of time is insuflicient and it is necessary to provide intermediate mechanism by which the color indication can be given to the replenishing mechanism before the boxes have been moved completely to picking position, thereby affording more time for the bobbin to fall to transfer position.

One method of providing the color indication in advance of the complete motion of the boxes is shown in Patent No. 1,030,748. The mechanism shown in said patent is not readily adaptable to the type of box motion shown herein nor is it capable of certain adjustments found desirable when the motion disclosed herein is employed.

One object of my present invention is to provide a color indication for weft replenishing looms wherein the compound levers are adjustable both vertically and horizontally with respect to the cam faces by which they are actuated. It is a further object of my invention to separate the cams from the box lever lifting mechanism so that said cams may have adjustments independent of the box lifting mechanism.

A still further object of my invention is to provide cams of similar construction,

the centers of which are all located on the same side of the compound levers, each cam being independently adjustable with respect to its particular actuator and all of the cams being movable about a common center.

lVith these and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

I the accompanying drawings, wherein I have shown one form of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a loom having my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section looking downwardly along line 33 of F 1,

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of the compound levers by means of which the color indication 1s given to the replenlshing mecha-.

nism, and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic View showing the means of conveying the indication to the color slide of the usual multi-color weft replenishing mechanism.

Referring moreparticularly to the drawings it will be seen that I have provided a loom frame 10 to which is secured a plate 11 having pivotally mounted on the rear part thereof vibrator levers 12 on which are rotatably mounted vibrator gears 13. Said gears 13 are raised and lowered by means of pattern mechanism (not shown) to be open atively connected with one or the other, of the cylinders 1 1 and said gears are each provided with connectors 15. Extending laterally from the plate 11 is a stud 16 on which is mounted a pair of bell crank levers 17 and 18, respectively. I have shown herein mechanism appropriate for a .four color loom but it is to be understood that the number of levers mounted on stud 16 may be varied according to the number of shut-, tles employed by the loom. Extending upwardly from each of the levers 17 and 18 is a link 19 having pivotal connection with the forward end of connector 15. The bell crank levers 17 and 18 have forwardly and rearwardly extending arms 20 and 21, re-

spectively, from which depend links 22 and.

28, respectively. The links are pivotally connected at their lower extremities with the box'lifter lever 24: the forward end of which is connected with the boxes through connector 25 and the rear portion of which is provided with a fixed stud 26. The mecha nism thus far described is old and of the usual construction and for further description as to the construction and operation of "the same 'reference may be h'adto patent-to -Knowles, "No. 221,237.

by means of bolts., 31 which pass throughslots :32 'thus affordinghori'zontal adjustmentfifo'r the said stand-'30. The upper portion .offthe stand "30 is'provided with .a

stud "34;;u 1on W liill are lpiv otally mounted :u'pair of camlev'ers 3 5 and 36, respectively, each lever "being pivotally connected as at :37 to a compound link formed of lower and upper members .38 and 39, respectively. The upper portions of the members 39 are pivotall'y conneet'ed to the arms 20 and 21 so as torequi'r'e movement f'of' the camle'vers whenever tl1e-bell crank 'levers 1'7 and 18 move. Abolt and sl'otjadjustment'between thelinks 38 and 39, indicated-generally at 10 affords adjustment between the bell crank levers and the oam'levers. Each of said cam levers is [provided with dwell portions 41 "and E-struck from different radii around stud 34 andconnected by a lifting surface-or cam 43. The dwelljportions extend oneach side of'the-liftingsurfaces 13.

Stand '30 is provided with parallel yertical guides e4 between which is 'slidably mounted a foot 45Thavin a slot 46 which receives when 47 extending from the stand I30. In this way "the .foot 45 may be adfjusted vertically "with respect to "the stand '80. Thelowerporti'on of said 'foot is provided with .another slot 48 which receives stud .26 to prevent end motion o f'the-lever 24, thereby 'keeping sai' d lever in substantially the same vertical position 'for allpos itions of the bell crank levers' and for all adjusted-positions of the 25061245.

Extending laterally from the foot 45 1s an offset 49 provided with apair'of parallel ways 50 between which is received "the lower end of an arm 51. A slot 52 formed in theofl'set 49 ,perniits horizontal adjustment of the arm 51 with respect to the 'foot 415.

The compound lever for controlling the weft replenishing mechanism 1s shown more particularly in Fig. 4 whereit will 'be seen that I have provide d a relatively shortlev- 01' 54 gpivoted centrally thereof on arm 51 and having the rear end thereof lprovided the central portion thereof on stu'd1'56,'has

the rear end thereof provided with a roll 58, and'has'theforward end'thereef attached to an upwardly extending connector 59. phaft 61 is suitably ournaled in fixed bear lugs and extends across the 100111, that por 'tion of said shaft adjacent the box motion being "provided with a slotted'lever (30 to h ave adjustable connection with. connector 59 and that end of the shaft' G1' adjacent the replenishing mechan sm being provided with a -l'cver-62wlnch is operatively connected by means of link 63 to lever 64 piv- 'ote'd as at '65to a fixed part of the replenishing mechanism. The upper end of the lever belies operative connection with a horizontal shaft 66 mountedfor angular and sliding "motion 'with respect to the replenishing 11'1Cl1a11lS1"n. Saidsh'aft has secured the'retohngers, one of which is'l'ndicatcd at 6" to cooperate with vertical shdes'68. T he mplenishin 'm'echanisin forms no part of my present inventionan'd for a further description of the construction and operation of the same reference may behad to Patent st zmdingof my; present invention to indicate correspondwith the active shuttle.

As shown in thedrawings r the bell crank levers ares'o'pl'aced as to position thesecond "box opposite the lay. "Roll 581s in raised position while roll is depressed which gives lever :a corresponding position. when'the bell crank levers 'c'hange'their position'to bring any oft'h'e other boxes 0posi te the race there vis a co res )on'din 7 l 8 Change int'he position of "lever 60due to'the came "so "that the color indication always registers with the active'shuttle. It isto beunderst'ood that the rolls 55 and 58, when changing their vertical position, assume their "final posltlon before the crank levers stop movingso'thatthejprop'er bobbin can he released "from its stack and startejd to ward transfer position priortothe picking,

"l his'is-brougl'it ab'out'by placing the rolls and the cam surfaces 13 sothat'th'e'rolls will he on opposite sides of the surface 43 and equally spacedtherefrom when the cam lever is 111 itstwo extreme positions.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by reason of-the 'adj-ustability of'thc various partsthepositi'on'of the rolls can be set in anydesired position. The movement ofthe arm 51 horizontally affords such an adjustjn'ient and the 'vertlcalmovement of foo't' le will-vary the position'of lever 60 so thatthe 'e'rtical tli'stan'cesthrough which tlie link'63 passes will be substantially equal. Also, stud can be moved independently of stud 16 inja horizontal direction and the relation of the cams'with respect to the bell'cranks can be adjusted in 'a vertical direction bymeans ofthe boltandslotconnectio'n indicated at 4:0. It will further be noted that when arm 5]. is moved, both of the rolls are moved with respect to the cams in the same direction, a condition not thought to prevail heretofore in the art. It will also be noted that the cams are adjustable independently of the box lifting levers and are movable bodily with respect thereto. Part of the adjustments described are possible because the rolls and 58 are substantially in alignment and the cams of the cam levers face in the same direction.

Having thus described my invention it- 'ill be apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a color indicator for weft replenishing looms having a plurality of shuttle boxes, a pair of box lifting angle levers having arms extending in opposite directions, a pivotal support common to said angle levers located between the oppositely extending arms, a cam lever for each angle lever, each cam lever having relatively high and low cam surfaces, a system of compound levers to cooperate with the high and low surfaces of the cam levers, the high and low surfaces of the cam levers being concentric, and connec-. tio-ns between the oppositely extending ends of the angle levers and the cam levers to cause said cam levers to move with the angle levers.

2. In a color indicator for weft replenishing looms having a plurality of boxes, a pair of box lifting angle levers having oppositely extending arms, a common pivotal support for said angle levers, a pair of cam levers, one for each angle lever, each cam lever having a cam surface with high and low areas, the cam surfaces facing in the same direction, and a system of compound color indicating levers operatively associated with the surfaces, said levers being movable toward and from the surfaces, the surfaces being movable with the angle levers independently of each other and the compound levers.

3. In a color indicator for weft replenishing looms having a plurality of shuttle boxes, a pair of oppositely disposed box lifting angle levers, a common pivotal support for said angle levers, a pair of cam levers each having a cam surface, a common pivotal support for said cam levers spaced from and movable with respect to the support for the angle levers, operative connections between the angle and cam levers to cause one of the cam levers to move whenever the corresponding angle lever moves, and a system of compound color indicating levers operatively associated with the cam levers.

4. In a color indicator for a weft replenishing loom having a plurality of boxes, a pair of oppositely disposed box lifting angle levers for the shuttle boxes, a common pivotal support for said angle levers, a pair of cam levers, one for each angle lever, a common support for said cam levers movable bodily with respect to the support for the angle levers, the cam surfaces facing in the same direction, a system of compound color indicating levers operatively associated with the cam levers, and a support for said compound levers movable toward and from the common support for the cam levers.

5. In a color indicator for weft replenishing looms having a plurality of boxes, a system of compound levers operatively connected to the indicator and having a pair of closely adjacent ends to be operated upon, a pair of cam levers one for each of saidends of the compound lever, box lifting angle levers operatively connected to the cam levers, and supports for the system of compound levers, cam levers and angle levers, all of said supports being movable relatively to each other.

6. In a color indicator for weft replenishing looms having a plurality of boxes, a sys tem of compound levers having an end 0peratively connected to the indicator and haverated upon, a pair of cam levers one for each of the ends to be operated on, a cam support for said cam levers, a pair of box lifting angle levers operatively connected to the cam levers, and a common support for said box lifting angle levers.

7. In a color indicator for weft replenishing looms having a plurality of boxes, a system of compound levers having connection with the indicator and a pair of ends to'be acted upon, a sam lever to act on each of the ends, a box lifting lever for each cam lever, both of said cam levers being movable in one direction to correspondto the lower position of said ends and movable in the opposite direction to correspond to the raised position of said ends.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto afiixed my signature.

oHARLEs A. DIGGINS.

ing a pair of closely adjacent ends to be op- Ill) 

